Heat engine



Sept. 10, 1968 G WINFREY HEAT ENGINE Filed Oct. 28, 1966 [I II 3 E: I ,23\.-- I I .-E 1 s I I4- v b: n ,o

, I I III I I I I Is" 9 FIG 3 1 I I I 11 FIG 8 GARLAND WIN FREY I NVENTOR.

United States Patent ice 3,400,538 HEAT ENGINE Garland Winfrey, 104 S.State St., Rolla, Mo. 65401 Filed Oct. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 590,441 1Claim. (CI. 6095) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A steam engine situatedbetween a boiler and a condenser. The steam engine including anexpansion bellows. A member connected to the bellows which actuates avalving member and cyclically controlling the entrance of steam from theboiler to the bellows and the exit of steam from the bellows to thecondenser.

This invention relates to engines and more particularly to a completelysealed heat engine which has vapor for a working media.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an engine which in asimple and eflicient manner can use any one of many chemicals for aworking media.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an engine which bysealing in the proper vapor can be made to run at any temperaturedifference or temperature level.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an engine whichcan be made to run as a single unit or with two or more units on acommon crankshaft.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an expansionbellows which permits expansion and contraction largely restricted toaxial movement with no objectional stress of the material of such aconfinement element. As a still further refinement the bellows can bemade to have a long axial movement, or stroke.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an engine which insome cases can be made largely of plastic, metal, or a variety of othermaterial, depending upon the temperature and pressure at which it isdesigned to run.

Still another object of the present invention is to make an engine whichis simple in construction, has few moving parts, and can utilize anyheat source to produce power.

Still additional objects, benefits, and advantages of this inventionwill become evident from a study of the following detailed descriptiontaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a cross sectional view taken through the centerline ofFIGURE 2.

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the engine shown in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side view of the engine shown in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the engines bellows expanded.

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the bellows shown in FIG URE 4 contracted.

FIGURE 6 is an end view of the bellows.

FIGURE 7 is a cross sectional view of the engines valve assembly takenthrough the center of FIGURE 8.

FIGURE 8 is the end view of the valve assembly shown in FIGURE 7.

Referring now specifically to the drawing, an engine 2 made inaccordance with the present invention is shown to include a condenser 3which is located at the top of the engine and is piped with a hollowpipe to the rear of the valve box 4. A boiler 5 which is located at thebottom of the engine and is piped with a hollow pipe to the front of thevalve box 4. An expansion bellows 6 which is pleated, and is soconstructed that when contracted the pleats lie flat against one anotherwhile the core 7 fills 3,400,538 Patented Sept. 10, 1968 the remainderof the airspace within the bellows. An expansion bellows 6 which ispiped with a hollow pipe to the front of the valve box 4, and has afitting 8 which can be connected to a connecting rod. A valve operatingrod 9 with a flange on the end which is rigidly fastened to core 7 andhas a slip fit through the front valve 10 in such a manner that the roditself will not move the valves but the flange will. Valves 10 and 11which are rigidly fastened together with bars 12 and have holes throughthem so gas can always pass lengthwise through the valve box 4. A hollowpipe 13 which opens into the top of the boiler 5 and into the top of thecondenser 3. A hollow pipe 15 which opens into the bottom of the boiler5 and into the bottom of the condenser 3. Valves 14 and 16 which arelocated in the center of pipes 13 and 15.

A boiler 5, a condenser 3, and a bellows 6 mounted to a valve assemblyin such a manner that when the bellows is contracted it is sealed ofifrom the condenser and has an opening into the boiler. The increasedpressure will cause the bellows to expand. When expansion is completethe bellows 6 will be sealed off from the boiler 5 and will have anopening into the condenser 3 whereupon it will contract.

Pipes 13 and 15 are located so they can be use to drain condensed liquidfrom condenser 3 to boiler 5 by opening valves 14 and 16. Thus the samevapor can be used over and over. It will be noticed that the entireinterior of the engine is completely sealed oil from the atmosphere andother environment.

An engine made in accordance with the present invention includes anexpansion bellows 6 whose normal condition is a state of contraction,and when expanded has a definite spring action which tends to bring itto a contracted state.

The operation of this engine will now be readily understood. This enginecan be made to operate under many conditions, but for simplicity sakeassume the following conditions. (1) Water is introduced into the enginefor a working media. (2) The boiler 5 is maintained at C. (3) Thecondenser 3 is maintained at 20 C.

The vapor pressure in the boiler 5 will now be around 14 pounds persquare inch, while the vapor pressure in the condenser 3 will be veryslight. The engine itself will start operating when enough pressure isbuilt up in the boiler 5 to expand the bellows 6. The operating cyclebeing as follows.

1) Pressure from the boiler 5 forces the bellows 6 to expand and whenexpansion is nearly complete the flange on the end of valve operatingrod 9 will move valves 10 and 11 sealing the bellows 6 off from theboiler 5 and giving an opening between bellows 6 and condenser 3. (2)Under the reduced pressure of the condenser 3 the spring action of thebellows 6 will cause it to contract, and when contraction is almostcomplete the flange on the end of valve operating rod 9 will move valves10 and 11 sealing the bellows 6 off from the condenser 3 and giving anopening between bellows 6 and boiler 5. The cycle is repeated.

The engine is started simply by heating the boiler, but if the boiler ishot the engine can be stopped by opening valve 14, thus allowing thepressure to bypass the engine. The engine can be started again byclosing valve 14.

As the working media is evaporated from the boiler it is condensed inthe condenser and may be returned to the boiler by opening valves 14 and16. Whereupon the force of :gravity causes it to drain. If the condenserwere lower than the boiler the media could be pumped through pipe 15.

Since it is used over and over in this engine, the working media neednot be water, and there are definite advantages in using otherchemicals. For example ethyl alcohol will produce the same pressure at78.5 C. that water produces at 100 C. while carbon disulfide producesthis pressure at only 46.2 C. Thus by choosing the proper chemical theengine can be made to operate at different temperature levels.

Another advantage of using other chemicals is that the temperaturedifference need not be so great. For example if NH was used for aworking media with the condenser at C. and the boiler at 30 C., then thepressure difference between boiler and condenser would be over 42 poundsper square inch. Where with water the temperature would be raised from20 C. to 100 C. to produce a pressure difference of 14 pounds per squareinch.

So a temperature difference of 10 C. with NH gives a greater pressuredifference than a temperature difference of 80 C. does with water. It iseasy to find a 10 temperature difference in our natural invironrnent.

Information on the vapor pressure of various chemicals is readilyavailable.

If the condenser is under high pressure and the boiler is under stillhigher pressure this engine can be made to operate simply by mountingtwo units on a common crankshaft in such a manner that one unit isexpanding while the other unit is contracting.

If it is designed to operate at moderate temperatures so that the heatdoes not deform the material and a chemical is used that does not deformthe material then the bellows of this engine may be made of plastic or avariety of other material.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to theconstruction shown in the drawing and while various changes may be madein the detailed construction, it shall be understood that such changesshall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as definedby the appended claim.

Having thus completely and fully described the invention, what is nowclaimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

. 4 1. An improved valve engine whose entire interior is completelysealed away from the atmosphere and other environment comprising incombination, a condenser which is connected to a valve box, a boilerwhich is connerted to said valve box, an expansion bellows which is usedinstead of the usual piston and cylinder combination and which isconstructed with pleats in it which lie fiat against one another whensaid bellows is contracted and which has a core which is designed notto-guide said bellows but to establish the compression ratio of saidbellows and having said bellows connected to said valve box, pipesconnected to said condenser and said boiler and said pipes are equippedwith valves and are used to move condensed liquid from said condenser tosaid boiler, a valve operating rod with a flange on one end of said rodand the other end of said rod fastened to said expansion bellows,movable slide valves in said valve box which are constructed so that gascan always flow from said bellows through the length of said valve boxand which are moved by said flange on said valve operating rod at theproper time to seal and unseal said condenser and said boiler to andfrom said valve box in such a manner as to keep said expansion bellowscontinually expanding and contracting so long as there is a pressuredifference between said boiler and said condenser, said flange movingthrough a provided space when the bellows is moving and valve movementis not desired. 4

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,056,736 3/1913 Carey 91-3411,658,951 2/1928 Stitt 92-44 X 3,009,325 11/1961 Pirsh -95 X MARTIN P.SCHWADRON, Primary Examiner.

CARROLL B. DORITY, Assistant Examiner.

